United players pose after a second unbeaten season in XL. Not pictured: Matt DeBella, Raphael Kim, Brendan Boyd.

Battle of Unbeatens goes to United! Team downs FC Cary to go 7-0 on the winter season

United completed its second consecutive unbeaten season when it downed the FC Cary Thunder 9-5 Monday night at the XL Soccer Dome. The game was scoreless midway through the first half before Nico Gutierrez fed Matt DeBella and Matt just beat the FC Cary goalie for a 1-0 lead. FC Cary responded by sending several shots on goalie Chris Brown, but Brown was up to the challenge in keeping the Thunder at bay. Later, Gutierrez got the ball to Ethan Sheflin, and Sheflin put United up 2-0. FC Cary then scored to cut the lead in half and almost tied it right before halftime but time expired.

A nail-biter second half ensued and saw United give up more goals in a half than what they gave up in the first three games of the season combined, but FC Cary had no answer for Ethan Sheflin and Raphael Kim. Sheflin and Kim exploded to combine for the next six United goals. First Ethan passed to Raphael for two, then Raphael passed to Ethan for two. Then Ethan scored two more, one from Nico Gutierrez and then from Kim again. But United needed all of the goals. At the other end of the rink, FC Cary continued to fire shots on the United defense, including one that George Bournazian deflected and Colin Attarian go to on the goal line to clear the ball. Meanwhile, Matt DeBella, Nicholas McCullers and Martin Benitez played a gritty defense that kept the taller FC Cary off balance in the midfield.

The final goal of the season came when long-time teammates Nico Gutierrez and Zach Gault teamed up. Gutierrez crossed the ball to Gault who put an exclamation point on the indoor season.

Ethan Sheflin led United with 14 goals on the season. Colin Attarian took home the assister’s title with 13. United’s last tie indoors came on February 28, 2010, when they tied the Cleveland United Ice 3-3. The team hopes to get together again this summer to defend the gold medal at the State Games of North Carolina.

United members get together at New York Pizza Sunday night before the Monday showdown with F.C. Cary. Both teams are unbeaten headed into United’s final indoor game of the season.

Gutsy performance by United paces to a 9-0 victoryIf United was going to be competitive with the Borough from Exploris Middle School on Valentine’s night it would require a Hurculean effort from Raphael Kim, Nicholas McCullers, Matt DeBella, Zach Gault and Chris Brown. Why? Because for the first 10 minutes of the game, those five were all the members of United that were at XL Soccer World. United went out with Nicholas McCullers in net, a position that he never played, three defenders and a forward in an attempt to hold on until reinforcements arrived. But the team did better than just hold on. United actually built a 2-0 lead, playing down a player, going into halftime. Relief first arrived when George Bournazian did, and when he stepped on the field he passed to Kim for the first goal. Matt DeBella then scored when he took a Kim pass to put the team up 2-0.

Valentine’s presents arrived in the second half in the form of fresh legs. Ethan Sheflin arrived and put in two straight goals, the first from McCullers and the second from Gault. McCullers scored from DeBella before he passed the ball to Sheflin for his hat trick. Benitez scored the next two, both from Chris Brown. Brown sent the ball over to Zach Gault for the final goal. Combined with a steady Colin Attarian defensive effort when he arrived in the second half, and United paced to a 9-0 victory.

United is unbeaten and heads into the season final against fellow unbeaten FC Cary Monday night.

United too much for CASL Defenders in 16-2 victoryUnited remained unbeaten on the indoor season with a 16-2 victory over the CASL Defenders Monday night. Martin Benitez continued his torrid scoring streak when he dumped in a pair of goals, both from Ethan Sheflin, within the first three minutes of the game. Raphael Kim then scored one of the prettiest goals of the season when Benitez dumped the ball to Colin Attarian who centered the ball to a wide open Kim. The Defenders answered with a goal before United struck again, this time with Matt DeBella converting a Sheflin pass. Chris Brown sent a rocket free kick in from just across midfield to end the scoring for the first half.

In the second half the flood gates opened. Sheflin scored off of a George Bournazian pass. Bournazian scored off of a DeBella center. DeBella contnued his scoring when he took a Bournazian pass and sent it to the back of the net. Zach Gault scored when Kim shot it off the wall. Brendon Boyd scored off of an Attarian pass. Benitez scored his third on the night when Nicholas McCullers centered it. Bournazian got another from DeBella before DeBella scored his third on the night on a pass from George. Kim scored again when he took another Attarian pass, for Colin, his team leading 12th assist on the year, and converted it. Nico Gutierrez scored an unassisted goal before Bournazian ended the scoring on a pass from DeBella.

United is unbeaten at 5-0 headed into a bye week.

Battle of unbeatens goes United’s way, 5-2

For the first time this season United was pushed hard as the Sanford Tsunamis came out firing and scored in the early minutes of the first half. The goal marked the first time that United has been trailing in a game since June, 2009, but it was short-lived, as Raphael Kim passed to Martin Benitez for the equalizer. Shortly after Nicholas McCullers scored and then Kim sent the ball to Colin Attarian, who put the tally at three. Kim then scored on a pass from George Bournazian and then Bournazian fed Zach Gault for the fifth goal and United was up 5-1 at half.

The Tsunamis did something that no other team has been able to do in a game in recent memory, holding United scoreless in the second half. But the defense and goaltending, led by Chris Brown and Ethan Sheflin, was up to the challenge, and United held on for the 5-2 win.

United’s high-powered offense keeps rolling as the team downs The Hills 12-3United’s offense had outscored its opponents 30-1 in the last two games and the team picked up right where it left off as Colin Attarian passed to George Bournazian for a 1-0 lead. Zach Gault scored shortly after when Martin Benitiez crossed the ball. Nicholas McCullers scored his first when Bournazian passed to him, but then The Hills scored the next two to make it a 3-2 game. United answered when Martin scored from George. George scored again when Ethan Sheflin scored and then Matt DeBella, back in his first game since May, scored when Gault centered the ball.

In the second half United kept up the scoring. Nico Gutierrez scored from Gault before Nicholas scored when he passed the ball to himself off of the wall. Sheflin scored on a DeBella pass before Matt took a pass from Ethan to score. Branden Boyd scored from DeBella and Bournazian finished off the scoring when he took a Raphael Kim pass and buried it. The United goaltending of Chris Brown, Sheflin and Bournazian held all other Hills shots at bay in the 12-3 win.

Raphael, Ethan and Brendon score hat tricks, short-handed United explodes for 10 in the second half to down 401United played short-handed on a sleet-filled night against 401 from Exploris Middle School and was in a close battle in the first half of the game. It wasn’t until Brendon Boyd got the ball to Ethan Sheflin and Sheflin beat the 401 goalie, 20 minutes into the game, that United was able to get the lead. Then, right before the half ended, Boyd scored from a Nicholas McCullers pass.

401 came out on fire in the second half, launching shot after shot on the United goalies. George Bournazian, Chris Brown and Ethan Sheflin were up to the challenge in turning away all shots. The game changed when Colin Attarian passed to Boyd, who shot and Sheflin flicked the ball off of the back of his heel for United’s third goal. After that, United scored the quickest three goals in team history as Boy scored from Sheflin, then took a pass from Colin Attarian to score and then Sheflin scored from McCullers, all within 90 seconds.

The goals continued as McCullers scored, this time from Attarian, then he scored again off a Chris Brown pass. Raphael Kim then registered a natural hat trick when he took passes from Chris Brown and two from Attarian, who had five assists on the night. Bournazian scored the final goal unassisted. United is 2-0 on the reunion season.

THEY’RE BACK!!!!

United entered its ninth year on January 3, 2011 as the team opened up the winter, 2011 season at XL Soccer World! Colin, Nico, Zach, Ethan, Matt, George, Chris, Nicholas, Raphael, Martin and Brandon all returned and scored 14 in the team’s opener against Exploris Middle School. In addition to Exploris, United will face off against the Sanford Tsunamis and Cary Thunderbolts, as well as face several new teams, this winter. Complete scoring recaps of the team’s indoor season are available here. Go United!